"Keep it down, will ya?" A spikey haired man said as he slipped open one of the gate doors. He ran a hand through his dark hair, stared at the girl then sighed. "I don't know, I've got plans with my girlfriend soon...you didn't come by at the time I specified either." Kiyoko glared, "you and I both know why I couldn't make it. I'm here now, we have plenty of time to fight!" "Ehhh...I don't know if I feel l-" Kiyoko gave him no time to finish as she quickly drew her sword and came at him, sword raised high. "Think fast, Shiba" Kaien drew out his own sword from his side and held it up, blocking Kiyoko blade inches from his face. "Jeez Atsune, why ya gotta be so brash?" "Because, I'm not going to let you get out of a fight this time!" Kiyoko went to make a slash at his side but Kaien simply jumped back. He glared, "fine, looks like I have no choice anyway..." he raised his sword upside down to the side of him, "rankle the seas and skies" he spun it as it began to glow bright yellow, it grew at both ends until the light disappeared and his hand stopped spinning the weapon. Now in his hand was a large staff like weapon.

At one end of it, the staff spiraled into a point, water spouted and twirled around it. At the other end were three blades, resembling a trident. At the base of the trident blades a bluetuff of hair swished about as water swirled around it, much like its end. He twirled the trident around his head, water swirled around him, creating a small barrier until he brought it down, stopping just at his waist to point it at the grinning girl as the water dispersed. "Now it just might get interesting!" Kiyoko said as she crouched down and placed her other hand on the mune of the blade. Kiyoko smirked "leap," she jumped up in the air, "Yuri Kaeru" her blade glowed a bright white, making Kaien turn his head slightly to avoid the blinding light. He felt the sudden shift of power in the air and instantly twirled around and blocked a thin blade that had been aimed at his back. He then jumped back to assess the girls weapon. In her hands were two blades, each curling around her fists attached to thick handles that Kiyoko gripped in her hands. Kaien smirked, "you're going to take me down with those small things? Good luck!"

He charged at her, the water spiraled tighter around him before rushing out to engulf her. Kaien smirked, "not so high and mighty now, eh Atsu-" suddenly Kiyoko burst from the wave of water in front of Kaien. His eyes widened as she ducked under his trident, the blade in her left hand cutting into his left thigh. He grunted as he brought his zanpakutō down, knocking Kiyoko to the side. She was quick to get on her feet again, a large smirk on her face. "One" she called, confusing Kaien. Was she counting down the number of time she hit him? "Don't get cocky, it was just one hit!" He swung the trident above his head, forming a large water barrier once more. He turned his body in sync with the moving water before pushing the trident forward. The water burst forward towards Kiyoko who growled, watching as the water turned into a point as if to stab her. She waited until it was inches from her before quickly leaping up into the air, "it'll take more than water to stop us!" She raised her right fist back, "countdown strike," "Go, Yon, San" Kiyoko cut through the water as it came at her, dispersingthe water with each cut until she was close to Kaien. "Ni" she knocked the trident down with her blade, surprising him. "Ichi" her right hand shot out, the blade slicing into his cheek. He quickly brought his trident up, jabbing the longest blade in the middle into her shoulder before she could react. "Ahhh!" She yelled, trying to pull the tip out without dropping her blade.

The water gathered at the tip of the other blades. Kiyoko's eyes widened as they shot at her, piercing into her skin as the force pushed her off, sending her backwards and crashing into the wall. Kaien staggered, his hand gripping at his thigh, "what the hell?" He looked down to where his hakama had been ripped to see the cut that had been inflicted on him. It had been a small cut, but now it had seemed to grown with his movement, the rim around it had turned purplish in color. He glared at the girl leaning against the wall for support as she held the gushing wound at her shoulder, "the hell did you do?" Kiyoko smirked, "like it? It's Kaeru's special technique." She held up one of the blades in her right hand. His eyes focused on it until they spotted the sheen of something green in color just at the edge. "P-poison?" Kaeru chuckled, "don't worry, it won't kill you, well if its left untreated for a while it will, but right now it'll just slow you down, little by little until you can't move at all. The more times I hit you, the faster it will work. By the way, that's two." He grunted, "So that's why you were counting..." she nodded, "as far as my record has gone, five cuts and you're out." Kaien narrowed his eyes, that just meant he would have to watch her blades. He held his trident in place, the waters flaring around him. "Don't think you'll get lucky any time soon.

Now that I know your trick, I won't let you anywhere near me." He swirled the weapon above his head, creating a barrier between the two. Kiyoko laughed, "This is so fun! I knew you were gonna be a good opponent, I just knew it!" She pushed off the wall, lifting the blade of her right hand as her left stayed limp at her side, struggling to hold on to the other. Kaien notice and smirked, "I don't think this will take much longer. Looks like ill make it in time for my date after all." Kiyoko just continued to smirk, "we'll see." She charged at him, jumping up over the barrier of water. Kaien quickly raised it, just as she had passed it, entrapping them both in the swirling barrier. She went to knock the trident down once more but Kaien saw this coming and pulled it back just as she was about to hit, sending her blade into the ground. The force ripped at the earth, pushing it down many feet until Kiyoko pulled it back up, standing in the crater that had formed. She looked up at Kaien who stood at the edge of the hole, staring back. "I see, you put your reiatsu behind that attack. You didn't plan on slicing me, you were going to hit me with blunt force. I must say, a hit like that might have broken some bone." "I was counting on it." Kiyoko said, tightening her grip on the weapon. She ran up the side, charging at the man. He raised his trident, as if to impale her if she continued her act. He was surprised when she didn't stop or even attempted to move another way. he was about to jump back out of the way just to try and avoid stabbing her but she suddenly disappeared, he looked around, trying to sense her somewhere. "Strike!" He looked up just in time to see her falling towards him, her blade ready to tear into him.

He brought his trident up, bracing the end into the ground. His eyes widened when she didn't move from her downward attack, allowing the blades to plunge into her abdomen as her own sliced into his neck. He quickly pulled the trident out of her as he staggered back. Kiyoko dropped to her knees, digging her blades into the ground for support. She breathed heavily as she watch Kaien drop to one knee, his hand on the deep cup at the side of his neck. "That's...three" her breathing was loud and mixed with Kaien panting. He watched as the blood from her wounds started to drip onto the ground beneath her. He knew if she kept this up she'd die. "I don't think either of us can continue..." he started to say but was silenced by Kiyoko, "NO! I won't give up...and it won't be a draw...I can keep...fighting..." she panted in between every few words, "I am the vice-captain...of the eleventh division...and I won't back down because of some small wounds!" She stood up, ignoring the heavy pouring of blood that gushed from the deep wounds in her abdomen and shoulder. Kaien stood up, his grip on his zanpakuto tightened. "I admire your will, I'll give you that. But I won't let you win, so prepare to lose!" they charged at each other, weapons raised high. It was sudden contact, Kiyoko, through her blurring vision, could see her blade etched deeply into his abdomen. She couldn't feel it, her body already going numb from what she guessed was blood loss, but she could see his weapon pointed at her, the tips digging into her like teeth. They both panted heavily from exhaustion, grinning at each other. Kiyoko chuckled happily, "finally...I can die happily." She fell back, her blades falling to the ground as the glowed, changing back into the shape of a regular katana. Kaien dropped to his knees, his own zanpakuto glowed and returned to its sealed form. He grinned at the girl who laid still on the ground, "better have been the best damn fight of your life...nearly killed me...stupid girl." He fell back, panting as he allowed his eyes to close, "stupid...stupid girl."